Lundi's Canadian base — Toronto for finance and tech, Montreal for engineering, AI, and gaming, Vancouver for tech and US-adjacent operations, Calgary for energy tech. Built for companies needing North American expansion with US time-zone coverage, English-French bilingual depth in Quebec, and the SR&D R&D tax credit.
Canada is for companies needing English-language North American presence without US visa complexity, deep senior tech talent (particularly in Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver), full US time-zone coverage, and the SR&ED R&D tax credit — one of the world's most generous. Montreal additionally offers French-language depth, AI and gaming specialization, and substantial Quebec-specific tax credits. Employer costs run ~12–18% above gross (lower than the US for the same loading). For companies building teams of 10+, not individual hires.
Canada is North America's most under-utilized senior talent market — deep technology, financial services, AI, and engineering depth at unit cost typically 15–25% below US equivalents, with the additional benefit of one of the world's most generous R&D tax credit programs (SR&ED).
Multiple hubs, different specializations.
Toronto is the financial, corporate, and tech capital — RBC, TD, BMO, Manulife, plus a deep technology ecosystem (Shopify HQ via Ottawa, Open Text, plus international tech regional offices). Strong fit for finance, fintech, B2B SaaS, and senior corporate roles. Highest unit cost in Canada but deepest senior talent.
Montreal is the engineering, AI, gaming, and bilingual hub — Ubisoft Montreal, Element AI alumni, Mila (Yoshua Bengio's lab) ecosystem, plus a deep gaming and multimedia sector. Strong fit for engineering, AI/ML, gaming, and design talent. Lower cost than Toronto (typically 10–20% below) with comparable senior depth. Quebec-specific tax credits (CDAE for e-business, multimedia credits) stack with federal SR&ED.
Vancouver is the tech, gaming, and US-adjacent hub — strong fit for companies wanting Pacific Time alignment with US West Coast. Hootsuite, Slack alumni, plus a substantial gaming sector. Higher cost than Montreal but lower than Toronto.
Calgary is the energy, resources, and increasingly tech hub — specialized depth in oil and gas, plus growing technology presence.
Operating context. Canada spans ET (Toronto, Montreal) through CT (Calgary) to PT (Vancouver) — full US time-zone coverage. Canada vs US: Canada wins on talent cost (15–25% below US), US visa complexity avoidance, and SR&ED tax credit; US wins on talent scale and equity compensation norms. Canada vs UK: similar cost, English-native talent; Canada wins on US time-zone overlap; UK wins on European market access.
Employer cost reality. Employer contributions vary by province: CPP (5.95% up to YMPE), EI (~2.3% employer share), provincial workers' compensation, and (in some provinces) employer health tax. Quebec employers pay QPP (6.4%) plus QPIP (parental insurance) plus other Quebec-specific charges. All-in employer cost typically lands 12–18% above gross — lower than US employer-side cost for the same loading (no employer health insurance burden, no employer-side FICA equivalent at the same level). Mid-level engineers in Toronto run CAD 110,000–150,000/year base; senior engineers CAD 150,000–220,000; tech leads CAD 200,000–300,000+. Montreal discount roughly 15–20% from Toronto at the same tier.
Canadian employment law is mostly provincial — Ontario, Quebec, BC, and Alberta each have their own Employment Standards Acts with material variations. Federal jurisdiction applies to specific sectors (banking, telecom, interprovincial transport). The system is more protective than the US but more flexible than most European markets.
EOR works well up to 20–30 headcount. Lundi's Canadian employment infrastructure handles CRA payroll registration, CPP (Canada Pension Plan), EI (Employment Insurance), provincial health premiums where applicable, workers' compensation (provincial), and statutory leave administration. Quebec adds QPP (Quebec Pension Plan) instead of CPP, plus Quebec Parental Insurance Plan and other province-specific structures.
Local entity (federal Canada Corporation or provincial) makes sense at scale or for SR&ED, regional credits, or equity structures. Setup is reasonable. Lundi's BOT pathway can guide entity setup and provincial structuring decisions.
SR&ED — Canada's R&D tax credit (one of the world's most generous). Scientific Research and Experimental Development tax credit provides up to 35% federal tax credit on qualifying R&D expenditure for Canadian-controlled private corporations (CCPCs) on the first CAD 3M of qualifying expenditure; 15% non-refundable for larger companies. Stacked with provincial R&D credits (Ontario, Quebec, BC have generous additional programs), total combined credit can exceed 50% of qualifying R&D cost. For engineering-heavy operations, this is materially significant and often the largest single Canadian tax advantage.
Quebec-specific incentives. Quebec offers additional CIT and payroll tax credits for IT, multimedia, gaming, and AI operations — particularly the CDAE (Crédit d'impôt pour le développement des affaires électroniques) for e-business. For operations with substantial Quebec workforce, these stack with federal SR&ED.
Why HRBP infrastructure matters in Canada. Provincial variation, Quebec-specific bilingual requirements (Loi 101 / Charte de la langue française), and termination procedures (constructive dismissal common law claims, particularly in Ontario) benefit from local fluency. Every Lundi Canada team includes a named HRBP from day one.
What it costs to employ someone through Lundi.
Lundi's cost is the all-in cost of the employee — gross salary plus statutory employer contributions plus customary benefits — and a Lundi management fee on top. The management fee depends on team size and scope: smaller teams pay a higher per-head rate, teams of 20+ get materially better unit economics, and Build–Operate–Transfer engagements are structured separately.
The alternative paths look like: setting up your own local entity (meaningful months of legal and accounting work, plus ongoing in-country HR, payroll, and compliance infrastructure), engaging a local recruitment agency on contingency (typically a percentage of first-year compensation, paid once, with no ongoing employment relationship), or hiring as a contractor (lower upfront cost, real misclassification risk in most jurisdictions). Lundi is faster than entity setup, structurally different from contingency recruitment, and lower-risk than contractor arrangements.
Talk to us for specific pricing.
If an employee has been employed for at least three months, the employer is obligated to provide them with a written notice of termination or termination pay. The notice period for an employer dismissing an employee depends on how long the employee has been employed and can range between one and eight weeks.
Lundi works with companies building teams of 10 or more across business, technical, and operational functions . Not for one-off hires or individual placements.
EOR platforms employ individuals for you. Lundi recruits, employs, and operates concentrated teams — including day-to-day management, HR, and an optional path to your own entity. It's the operating model for companies that have outgrown the EOR ceiling.
